MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — It was the annual Patriot Day at Georgia Military College. Normally, it there would be a parade, writing on bricks to remember 9/11 victims and other outdoor activities. However, that didn't stop the school from finding a way to honoring those who died on September 11, 2001 and during the Global War on Terrorism. Georgia Military College President William B. Caldwell says 9/11 is a pivotal moment in U.S. history.
"Remember what led up to that day and what occurred that day and also remember the sacrifices," Caldwell said.
This year, students in the GMC prep school wrote the names of the 3,024 victims lost during the 9/11 attack on large sheets of paper. They will be placed around the school to honor them. However, for tenth grader Madison French, Patriot Day is about remembering her father, Alex French IV.
"He really felt like it was his duty to help serve his country when 9/11 happened," French said.
Alex French IV was a Staff Sergeant in the Army at the time of his death. He was killed on September 30, 2009 by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. French says honor her father and other who served, on Patriot Day, is important.
"I think that it should be continuously taught and like not forgotten and like taught to be understood and not just for you to remember or know about," she said.
Through out the morning, GMC's WWII Pack-Howitzer cannon fired to recognize the times when the Twin Towers and Pentagon were hit and when Flight 93 crashing in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Church bells in the Milledgeville area rang at the same time. Caldwell says Patriot Day is about remembering those who have served.
"We really use this event every year to make sure those children and those families know we do not forget and we appreciate and understand, and love them and want them to know there is always somebody there for them," Caldwell said.